MIAMI - Like a good straight man, John Kerry gave Team Bush another opening yesterday when he tried to explain his now-infamous line that he voted for a military spending bill after he voted against it.

"I had one of those inarticulate moments, late in the evening when I was dead-tired in the primaries, and I didn't say something very clearly," Kerry said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

By the time the next commercial came up, Bush campaign aides determined the comment was made at a noontime rally in West Virginia and were preparing their latest zinger.

"Perhaps his watch was on Paris time," the Republican National Committee mocked.

In what is an growing sign of cockiness, the Bush campaign increasingly has turned to lampooning Kerry.

Aides on the Bush campaign plane handed out a mock John Kerry debate book yesterday poking fun at what they say are his zigzag policies.

Even Vice President Cheney's wife, Lynne, got in an elbow yesterday in a reference to Kerry's sudden tan.

While taking questions at a Minnesota campaign rally, Cheney told the crowd to get microphones from aides walking around in orange shirts.

When Cheney paused as if searching for the words to describe the shade of orange, his wife piped up, "How about John Kerry's suntan?" The remark drew a big laugh from the crowd and the veep.

Most of the Republican punch lines reinforce their charge that Kerry is a flip-flopper.

It was Bush's turn earlier this week - when talking about tonight's debate - by saying Kerry could debate himself for 90 minutes.

And top Bush aide Karen Hughes could not suppress a public smirk last week when asked about their latest attack ad, Kerry windsurfing back and forth to waltz music as the narrator intoned, "Whichever way the wind blows."

Bush spokesman Scott Stanzel said, "Humor is an effective way to be persuasive without being corrosive. Americans appreciate humor and leaders who don't take themselves so seriously."

Kerry's team acknowledges that the derision has had an effect, but they insist voters will want more than sneering jokes - especially when the two men stand together on a Miami stage tonight in their first debate and address deadly serious issues.

"I have still not heard from President Bush or any of those folks any kind of coherent response [to Kerry's war critiques]," said Kerry strategist Mike McCurry. "I think [voters] want more substantive answers about where America is going."

McCurry suggested Kerry may try to turn the flip-flop taunts against Bush.

"If the issue is consistency, it's fair for us to point out that President Bush has consistently been wrong," he said.

The issues at the debate will be foreign policy and will likely be dominated by Iraq, which does not lend itself to flip remarks.

Bush fished, rode his bike and did an interview with TV's Dr. Phil before leaving his Texas ranch and heading to Florida to view the latest hurricane damage. Bush, whose last campaign was rocked by the revelation that he once was busted for drunken driving, dispensed some parental advice on Dr. Phil.

"It's awfully difficult for a parent to tell a child not to drink and drive when the parent drinks and drives," Bush said.

Kerry closed up his debate prep camp in Wisconsin and headed for Miami.

Alas the debates, where John Freakin' Kerry will finally tell the American people who he is and what he wants them to hear. This after campaigning for almost two years (and not fulfilling his responsibilities as a U.S. Senator) while President Bush has been campaigning and meeting his responsibilities as President of the United States, including holding the terrorists and their supporters (including the Domestic Terrorist supporters in the Congress) responsible for their actions.

My impression is that he would like to be president of any America, even a terrorist infested one, and still serve as a puppet of Muslims and terrorists. But even then, he can't decide who and how to be a puppet of whom. His complex mind is nothing short of pure genius!

Wonder why he joined it in the first place. I also wondered why he didn't just fiht for the Viet Cong. Notice that he absolutely detests the NRA too. Maybe he wants an open society together with the terrorists, e "multiculturalists" and the liberals/socialists/communists.

"HI, I'm john kerry, must be difficult working here on the assembly line eh?"

"My, it's hot. Anyone have a Perrier and an Egyptian cotton towel for this man? WHAT? NO PERRIER? Have you discussed this with your union steward? We'll get to the bottom of this RIGHT AWAY! Of course, you can bet that the White House has all the Perrier they can drink! Now, if you'll excuse me, my fake tan is sweating off...have to look good for the cameras, you know..."

MIAMI - Like a good straight man, John Kerry gave Team Bush another opening yesterday when he tried to explain his now-infamous line that he voted for a military spending bill after he voted against it.

Sheesh, the NYDN has it exactly backwards... He voted for it *before* he voted against it, not "after". What a way to blow the opening line of the article.

I think he joined to enhance his resume. Fleeing to Canada wouldn't look good of a resume. You notice he only signed up for the least dangerous actions. Not that many, many didn't do the same thing when they joined other branches who were less likely to be sent to Nam. It was his cut and run after 3 baby boo, boos that was the worst of his military stint. And his pacifist activities after he came back.

26
posted on 09/30/2004 5:22:09 AM PDT
by GailA
( hanoi john, I'm for the death penalty for terrorist, before I impose a moratorium on it.)

Lurch is a pretty good mock name for John, but I recently saw a Munsters episode where Herman was struck by lightning or something and became his Fred Gwynne alter ego (thus frightening him terribly,of course). I swear, Fred Gwynne in Herman Munster's getup looks more like John Kerry than Kerry himself ever did...

"McCurry suggested Kerry may try to turn the flip-flop taunts against Bush. If the issue is consistency, it's fair for us to point out that President Bush has consistently been wrong," If Bush is a flip flopper how can he be consistantly wrong? At least W said Kerry is like a broken clock. he right a least twice.

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